Working together to protect sea turtles and their habitats worldwide...

Turtle Species:

Green

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The green turtle has the most numerous and widely dispersed nesting sites of the seven species, and was once highly sought after for its body fat – a key ingredient in the popular delicacy, ‘green turtle soup.’ Although it has become illegal to trade them in many parts of the world, green turtles and their eggs continue to be consumed.

Scientific name:

Chelonia mydas

Status:

Endangered

Distribution:

Circumglobal

Nesting areas throughout tropical regions are often on islands and coral atolls in addition to mainland beaches

Non-nesting range extends to temperate regions during immature stages

Size:

Adults

Length 80-120 cm
Mass up to 300 kg

Hatchlings

Length 30-40 mm
Mass 25-30 g

Diet:

For immature stages, soft-bodied invertebrates such as jellies and jelly-like organisms
For later immature stages and adults, mainly herbivorous, but also sessile invertebrates such as sea pens soft corals

Reproduction:

Reproduce every 2-4 years

Lay 2-5 clutches of eggs per season

Lay 80-120 eggs per clutch

Large ping-pong ball size eggs weigh approximately 40-50 grams

Incubation period approximately 60 days long

Can take 20-40 years to reach sexual maturity

Facts:

Green turtles were important for European explorers to the New World; they provided an essential source of food, and they helped crews navigate around islands at night by the increased volume of their aggregated breathing

The former abundance of green turtles in the Caribbean is estimated to have been as high as 500 million individuals

Eastern Pacific green turtles are termed ‘black turtles’ because of their darker coloration. They tend to be smaller and to lay fewer eggs than green turtles elsewhere.